# Where can I get clear LCD glasses? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 15, 2010, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-clear-lcd-glasses/539503 "2010-05-15T02:14:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-clear-lcd-glasses/539503/1 "2010-05-15T02:14:04Z")
I’ve been trying to find a pair of clear glasses that I can use to display live video, essentially I’d like to annotate reality. So far, all I have found are flicker-glasses which are nothing at all like what I’m looking for. I want the wearer to be able to see an undistorted picture of what’s around him while various graphics are overlayed on top. Does anyone make something like this? And if so, where could I buy a pair? Thanks Testy ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-clear-lcd-glasses/539503/2 "2010-05-15T02:21:20Z")
You are probably a bit ahead of the technology curve for consumer devices, but if anyone has such a beast - it will be Microvision. [http://www.microvision.com/wearable\_displays/index.html](http://www.microvision.com/wearable_displays/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-clear-lcd-glasses/539503/3 "2010-05-15T02:24:30Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > You are probably a bit ahead of the technology curve for consumer devices, but if anyone has such a beast - it will be Microvision. > > [http://www.microvision.com/wearable\_displays/index.html](http://www.microvision.com/wearable_displays/index.html) **jasg** Thanks for this. I’ll check them out tonight. Just a funny idea I had and wanted to try if it didn’t break the bank. Thanks again Testy ---
**Author:** ![BorgHunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@BorgHunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BorgHunter)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-clear-lcd-glasses/539503/4 "2010-05-15T02:26:27Z")
Yeah, this is technology which is probably going to end up as an accessory to, and eventually replacing smartphones, but it’s too clunky for anyone but speciality shops, and their devices are too unwieldy and primitive for the use case you’re describing. Put yourself in a cryonic chamber for twenty years; maybe they’ll be all the rage by then. I sure hope so, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-clear-lcd-glasses/539503/5 "2010-05-15T02:34:53Z")
You need to remember that such glasses need a fairly complicated optical system - the image needs to appear to be far away, while actually being very close. This is going to make such glasses much bulkier then normal eyeglasses. You also will need some sort of beamsplitter, which is also going to increase the bulk. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-clear-lcd-glasses/539503/6 "2010-05-15T03:13:54Z")
It’s a technological cul de sac. The technology that will accomplish the augmented reality you seek is a trio of very low-power lasers to [draw directly on your retinas](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_retinal_display) (read Neal Stephenson’s [Snow Crash](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_Crash) for a description). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-clear-lcd-glasses/539503/7 "2010-05-15T05:22:48Z")
> [@](#): > > It’s a technological cul de sac. The technology that will accomplish the augmented reality you seek is a trio of very low-power lasers to draw directly on your retinas (read Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash for a description). You’d need surgery to make that work, though. So long as the device is in front of the eye, if the laser emission point is the same, then the same spot on the retina will get hit, no matter which way the laser points. And if you move the laser around, or have a bunch of different lasers, then you’ve basically just got a little monitor mounted in front of your eye, no different than the crude “technological cul de sac” we have now. ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-clear-lcd-glasses/539503/8 "2010-05-15T06:18:47Z")
> [@BorgHunter](#): > > Yeah, this is technology which is probably going to end up as an accessory to, and eventually replacing smartphones, but it’s too clunky for anyone but speciality shops, and their devices are too unwieldy and primitive for the use case you’re describing. Put yourself in a cryonic chamber for twenty years; maybe they’ll be all the rage by then. I sure hope so, anyway. **BorgHunter** No thanks, I’ve already seen _futurama_. These would be ideal as a display for smartphones, laptops, and all kinds of gadgets. Regards Testy ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-clear-lcd-glasses/539503/9 "2010-05-15T06:22:20Z")
I expect this to be the next really big thing in communication devices starting in the next 5-10 years, and becoming nearly ubiquitous by the mid 2020s. (I can’t wait!) There are so many potential applications! The glasses will probably look dorky though, so I can imagine that eventually contact lens equivalents will be developed. ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-clear-lcd-glasses/539503/10 "2010-05-15T06:25:11Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > You need to remember that such glasses need a fairly complicated optical system - the image needs to appear to be far away, while actually being very close. This is going to make such glasses much bulkier then normal eyeglasses. You also will need some sort of beamsplitter, which is also going to increase the bulk. **Beowulff** Not sure I’m following you here. What I was thinking of was basically a small, clear, LCD monitor that I could use to display some simple graphics and maybe a cursor. Why would I need a beam splitter? Maybe there’s something really obvious that I’m overlooking but that seems to be overkill for what I need. Thanks again Testy ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-clear-lcd-glasses/539503/11 "2010-05-15T06:27:50Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > It’s a technological cul de sac. The technology that will accomplish the augmented reality you seek is a trio of very low-power lasers to [draw directly on your retinas](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_retinal_display) (read Neal Stephenson’s [Snow Crash](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_Crash) for a description). **gaffa** Thanks but no thanks. The idea of me zapping my retinas with lasers, regardless of the power levels, seems a bit “iffy” to me. Call me cowardly but I think I’ll let someone else go first.😛 Regards Testy ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-clear-lcd-glasses/539503/12 "2010-05-15T06:29:41Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > It’s a technological cul de sac. The technology that will accomplish the augmented reality you seek is a trio of very low-power lasers to [draw directly on your retinas](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_retinal_display) (read Neal Stephenson’s [Snow Crash](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_Crash) for a description). **gaffa** As an oh-by-the-way, I loved _Snowcrash_. Likewise the rest of the things he’s written. Testy ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-clear-lcd-glasses/539503/13 "2010-05-15T06:31:56Z")
To understand the basic problem, hold a postage stamp a half-inch away from your eye and try to look at it. You just can’t focus on something as close as a pair of glasses. That means that you have to somehow get the image further away than the glasses themselves, and that means a lot of bulky optics. But you can’t have all those bulky optics in front of the actual scene you’re trying to see, so you put the optics off to the side somewhere, and merge it with a direct view of the actual scene through a beam splitter. ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-clear-lcd-glasses/539503/14 "2010-05-15T06:35:20Z")
**jasg** I checked the _Microvision_ site but they seem to be using some kind of mems device to reflect laser light onto a reflective surface for the display. This seems a lot more complicated than what I’m actually looking for. Maybe there is something really obvious I’m overlooking but it would seem simpler to just use a small, clear display as a pair of glasses. Can you educate me a bit on this? Thanks again Testy ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-clear-lcd-glasses/539503/15 "2010-05-15T06:40:28Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > To understand the basic problem, hold a postage stamp a half-inch away from your eye and try to look at it. You just can’t focus on something as close as a pair of glasses. That means that you have to somehow get the image further away than the glasses themselves, and that means a lot of bulky optics. But you can’t have all those bulky optics in front of the actual scene you’re trying to see, so you put the optics off to the side somewhere, and merge it with a direct view of the actual scene through a beam splitter. **Chronos** Hokey dokey. {Insert a vary large head-smack-smiley here.} :smack:This makes sense to me and makes what I wanted to do effectively un-doable for right now. Well, dammit! 😛 And thank you very much for making this clear to me and saving me a few bucks as well. All the best Testy ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-clear-lcd-glasses/539503/16 "2010-05-15T07:29:47Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > It’s a technological cul de sac. The technology that will accomplish the augmented reality you seek is a trio of very low-power lasers to [draw directly on your retinas](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_retinal_display) (read Neal Stephenson’s [Snow Crash](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_Crash) for a description). I worked at the lab that invented this technology and my workstation was 20ft away from the very first prototype which is still functioning and was a part of our regular lab tours :). ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-clear-lcd-glasses/539503/17 "2010-05-15T07:31:45Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > To understand the basic problem, hold a postage stamp a half-inch away from your eye and try to look at it. You just can’t focus on something as close as a pair of glasses. That means that you have to somehow get the image further away than the glasses themselves, and that means a lot of bulky optics. But you can’t have all those bulky optics in front of the actual scene you’re trying to see, so you put the optics off to the side somewhere, and merge it with a direct view of the actual scene through a beam splitter. [The True3D Display](http://www.hitl.washington.edu/projects/true3d/) ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-clear-lcd-glasses/539503/18 "2010-05-15T15:25:44Z")
> [@Testy](#): > > **jasg** > > I checked the _Microvision_ site but they seem to be using some kind of mems device to reflect laser light onto a reflective surface for the display. This seems a lot more complicated than what I’m actually looking for. Maybe there is something really obvious I’m overlooking but it would seem simpler to just use a small, clear display as a pair of glasses. Can you educate me a bit on this? > > Thanks again > > Testy Sorry, other than having noticed their press releases in the Seattle tech press, I know nothing about them. It does appear that their AR & HUD work is primarily for the military. [http://www.microvision.com/wearable\_displays/application\_gallery.html](http://www.microvision.com/wearable_displays/application_gallery.html) I suggest exercising your google-fu - here are a few hits I found rather quickly. [http://www.microvision.com/displayground/?p=1187](http://www.microvision.com/displayground/?p=1187) [http://thomaskcarpenter.com/tag/microvision/](http://thomaskcarpenter.com/tag/microvision/)